As we all know, we are in the midst of the fight against climate change, so naturally, there are lots of tips on the internet that we can use to help reduce our carbon footprint and be more environmentally friendly.
If you’re looking to go the extra mile, here are some ways that you can contribute to saving the environment that you probably haven’t heard of before.
Understand expiration dates
While we don’t recommend you force down sour milk, throwing away bread and other goods as soon as the expiration date hits, could mean you’re wasting a lot of food. Typically, an expiration date refers to a product’s quality, not its safety. There is a difference between a “sell by” date and a “use by” date.
Bulk Up
You probably know this saying as a gym goers mantra, but buying in bulk also serves to buff up the environment. If you buy non-perishable foods in bulk, such as rice, pasta and nuts, in large quantities, you use less plastic than buying smaller portions. Just be sure to seal them well, so they last until you need them.
Try loose tea
You can eliminate a very easy to overlook source of food packaging waste, by making the switch to loose leaf tea. Instead of buying tea bags, you can make a one time investment in a tea infuser. As well as being better for the environment, loose tea is fresher and better for you, as tea bags that are stored for too long lose their nutrients.
Get creative
There’s nothing more exciting than tearing the packaging off your delivery, then throwing all of the polystyrene and bubble wrap in the bin, with the bubbles popped, of course. However, these items can easily be reused as insulators for a plant on a winter’s night. Or you could save them for next time you need to ship something.
Preserve your goods
Did you know that home frozen fruits and vegetables are good for up to a year and a half! If you freeze a product at the peak of its freshness, you can reuse it later down the line. You could even consider turning them into jams, freeze drying or pickling them.
Check your labels
The products we use to make ourselves feel beautiful can sometimes contain some questionable ingredients. Take some time to look into the safety information on your beauty products. Consider buying alternatives with ingredients that are friendlier to your body and the environment.
Repair before you replace
Toaster on the blink? Why not try to fix it before going out to buy a new one? Try borrowing things from a friend or family member, before going out to buy your own. Using what you, or someone else already has reduces the amount of resources needed to create and ship new products. Friendlier for both the environment and your wallet.
Hopefully these tips inspired you to change the way you think about how your actions can affect the environment. Of course, if you need to make changes within your home to be more environmentally friendly, ECO grants are available in the UK, to help make getting work done more affordable.
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